In July, a multi-ability team of disabled and non-disabled adults climbed Kilimanjaro accompanied by a film crew. This was a very real challenge - on average, ten climbers die each year while trying to reach the summit.
Basecamp with a Hoodman
& foldaway solar panelsEach day, material from the filming was used to provide daily diary content that had to be viewed, selected and edited on the mountain. Canford was approached to help find a solution to the difficulties with viewing material in the harsh lighting environment and suggested Hoodman laptop/notebook hoods for use during the expedition. This also gave us the perfect opportunity to ‘roadtest’ the products.
Hoodman are world renowned manufacturers of hoods and screen covers for computers, laptops, many camcorders, cameras and SLRs. Their range also covers professional cameras and monitors for use on location. The devices are used to prevent the glare that hampers visibility on modern LCD screens in bright sunlight - precisely the sorts of conditions they were going to meet in Tanzania.
During the adventure in Africa not one but many stories unfolded, each compelling and inspiring. The film crew became part of the climbers’ personal worlds and as they did so any lingering preconceptions about disability quickly evaporated. The climbers’ determination and humour was more than a match for the additional challenges they faced, especially when enhanced by the support, trust and camaraderie of the new friendships that evolved during the ascent.
The project was initiated by Enham, a UK charity that exists to give disabled people opportunities to make real choices in life. Enham sees those with disabilities as who they are rather than what they are. The film is intended to demonstrate the same.
Although the heroes are the climbers, the support team and the film crew also had their own mountains to climb, not least arriving in Tanzania to discover that the wrong visas and the wrong film permit had been issued.
As mentioned above, the film crew were not only shooting footage on their main unit throughout the day, but also filmed regular video diaries that were then edited during the evening and uploaded onto the internet via a top grade, portable satellite up-link (the BGAN explorer 500, tried and tested by the military). This and many other technical challenges needed to be meticulously researched and planned for in pre-production.
During the ascentPower was supplied by three portable solar panels that charged a motorcycle battery that was then used to charge the numerous batteries for the cameras, laptops, and other peripherals. Due to daily time pressures during the climb, this fast became a rolling process during the day; as the rest of the climbers recovered during lunch, or got ready for the day at breakfast time, the film crew would be hard at work making sure that they had enough juice for the day ahead. Items such as the Hoodman laptop screen shields and the Rosco LED light pads became vital to keeping the process running, from the difficulties of working in intense glare from the sun during the day, to working in tents at sub zero temperatures at night. Batteries had to be stored at the bottom of sleeping bags overnight to avoid being drained within minutes from the extreme cold.
The careful planning at last paid off when the entire film crew achieved the objective of reaching the summit - with two out of the three cameras still on full function despite the harsh conditions - to capture the majesty and achievement of all those who reached the roof of Africa.
From the outset, music has been a key feature of the project: The climbing team was accompanied by Michael Price (Wild Child, Hot Fuzz, Children of Men), a renowned composer, who started to write the film score as he climbed, taking inspiration from the stories as they unfolded.
The film is now in post-production, and the film team is delighted with the quality of the footage. This is in no small part due to the cinematographer, Gordon Brown (no relation to our esteemed PM), who has won five Emmys for his work on similar projects and who managed to exhaust even the most experienced of the Kilimanjaro porters!
We are delighted that the expedition has been such a success and that all the participants have gained so much out of the experience. We are also very pleased with the Hoodman equipment coming through with flying colours. Even in the demanding conditions on the mountain - including sub zero temperatures and the extraordinarily bright light to be found on the Equator, especially in the low oxygen environment at that altitude, they made using the laptops a breeze!